The Most Brilliant Galaxy
by yulia20lena4
Summary: Andromeda Black is the middle child of one of the most important and noble pure blood families of the magic world and she knows her destiny is bringing honor to them. But when she meets a muggle born son, the hyperactive Ted Tonks, everything her family taught her might come crashing down.
1. The noble and ancestal house of Black

**The noble and ancestral house of Black**

**Disclaimer: **Some characters and the Harry Potter world belong to the queen J.K Rowling, I only own this story and it´s OC.

**Andromeda:**

For Andromeda Black her whole life had already been planned. She was part of the important Black family, crowds temble at the sound of her name, she had as much money that she would never be able to count it during her lifetime and the prestige that came with it to ensure her a comfortable life.

Since she was a little girl her parents had taught her how fortune she was for being born a Black. She wasn´t only a pure blood witch, she was better than the rest. She was part of the holly twenty eight and her blood would never mixed with those impure wizards and witches who thought muggles were just like them.

Because she also understood that difference. Muggles were nothing more than just a dirty nastiness of society that shouldn´t even be named. But worst than them were the rottening and disgraceful Mudbloods.

Andromeda heard her mother twice a day complaining about them, of how they were an aberration that should have never been created and how she couldn´t understand why they were allowed to study magic. Druella´s Black stomach twirl at the simple though of seeing her lovely daughters interacting with them when they enter at Hogwarts.

And that was the breaking point for Andromeda, something that forzed her ´till tiredness just to make her parents proud. She had to be better than her sisters.

Andromeda never wished to overcome Narcissa, but that was just too easy. She was a weeping and coward little girl who allied with those who had the power at the convenient time. Normally their father used to said that she was only usefull for marrige proposals from wealthy wizards families, because Narcissa was undeniably pretty.

Even tought her mother always told them love was a weakness, Andromeda felt an special love for her younger sister even when she rarely showed it. Sometimes it was by hiding the disasters she made just to prevent terrible punishments from their parents, or by helping her with secret clases of writing during night time only for avoiding seeing her mother using those quills that make you write with your own blood. Others where by comforting her during nightmares and by not leaving her alone when they visited aunt Walburga. Andromeda felt is was her duty as an older sister to bring poor Narcissa the protection she never had.

Because Bellatrix was special. Their parents showed her off in every reunion as the clever and talented girl they hope would be the best of her class when she began her education at Hogwarts, that charming girl who could keep difficult conversations with older wizards and stole the looks wherever she went. That girl that gave Andromeda the worst head aches.

If Bellatrix was a hawk, then Andromeda was the mouse she would always haunt to slowly killed.

Her older sister never tried to hide all the mischiefs that were dedicated to her just to threatened Andromeda, to show her that it was her who commanded the house and their parents would never punished even if they wanted to. And Andromeda learned it the hard way, after her father turn off a cigarrete agaisnt her skin as a scoring when Bellatrix cried because "_Her sister let fall a jar of the magical nail varnish of mom in her hair_"

When Bellatrix letter arrived, Andromeda was happy because it meant that a long time would pass before she had to see her again. And when the day she arrive to Hogwarts came, she could hide from her sister all she could to avoid being molested.

During those three years when Bellatrix only wrote home to informed she was the best at everyhting she did, Andromeda was oftenly at the house of aunt Walburga and uncle Orion. Aunt Walburga was an horrible witch that shared with their mom the pleassure of insulting mudbloods and criticized the direction of "That filthy blood traitors lover" of Albus Dumbledore, which meant that those times when Andromeda and Narcissa where there, in the number twelve of Grimmauld Place, they normally played with their cousins Sirius and Regulus.

Narcissa oftenly lost herself in the kitchen to talk with the house elves, but Andromeda accepted to play and entretain her younger cousins. Especially when it meant to keep Sirius out of trouble, since the pranks the little kid made arrived with painful punishments she could barely see. Aunt Walburga was more ruthless than their mom when they talk about impossing discipline and after Andromeda saw how she commanded the house elves to whiped Sirius after she saw him putting a Drooble in Narcissa´s hair, Andromeda swore to defend him like she did with her younger sister.

"Everything would be easier if you stop making her angry" She cleaned his wounds in the kitchen, while Sirius hold his sobs "Why can´t you behave better?"

"And being just as unhappy as everyone else in this bloody house? I didn´t knew that for being part of the Black family you needed to lose your sense of humor"

"I am not telling you to be an insensible brick, Sirius. Just asking you to control yourself. Don´t provoke her and this won´t happen again."

Sirius simply snorted with anger that boiled from inside "I am not going to change just to show her that I am afraid of her, I´m not like Regulus or you. I didn´t ask to be born in this family"

"You should feel proud, don´t be ungratful" Sirius´s grey eyes met her brown ones, and she noticed they reflected anger and discord.

"Mom used _crucio_ on Regulus yesterday because she saw him giving it food to Kreacher. You cannot force me to be proud of being part of that" His tone was cold and sad.

Andromeda never corrected him for that again, even though she was not okey with the way he talked about their family. Regulus must had done something wrong to being punished right? They were better than other creatures, house elves were just slaves that needed to be treated like such. You could show a viper how to eat from your hand, but you might never took the ability of bitting from her nature.

Nonentheless and while those three years passed, Andromeda and Sirius became close. This seemed to disgusts Andromeda´s parents, who accused her cousin of being a revolving good for nothing brat that would bring bad reputation to the Black house, but because they never tried to kept them apart their friendship keep growing, Andromeda being the reason why Sirius never made big chaos during the families parties.

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

The day her Hogwarts letter arrived, it was raining. A thunderous storm shackled the walls of the Black Mannor and the wind seemed to freeze the bones of all the occupants and her mother was specially angry.

Andromeda would turn eleven in just three days and her sister keep anoying her by calling her a Squib and singing parts of a song she created named "The dishonor of the Black family". Sometimes she forced the house elves to charmed the instruments that lay in the living room so they produce a melody that acompany her horrible singing that already provoke migrains to Andromeda but she couldn´t get out of her head.

"_There she comes Andromeda the squib_

_The most shameful sorceress_

_Our parents should have never have her_

_She is the one who brings the shadow, who threanthed the families honor,_

_She is so bashfulness she shouldn´t be name a Black_

_Sure she only got it for shame"_

Bellatrix could last hours without taking a breath, following her sister around the house with Narcissa at her ankles and clapping while making the chorus of the nasty song. One time she even gave her a parchment during dinner, just in front of their father, and smiled wickedly told her it was for her to remember the lyrics when the horrible news came upon the family and she was disinherited. If the letter didn´t arrive between these days Andromeda wasn´t sure about the torture her parents will summit her to for bringing dishonor of the most important house in the wizarding world.

It was because of it that she woke up early in the morning of july the 17th, hoping to eat something in the kitchen before her stomach close with nerves. That and her fear of imagining Bellatrix putting something in her plate to poison her just for fun.

The house elves of her house where different from the ones that belong to aunt Walburga. They always kept their eyes low, never speak and only obey at the orders that their parents and important wizards pronounce when they vissited their home during trascendental reunions, like the girls birthdays or the magnificent new years eve party that their parents always made. Entering the kitchen meant seeing them stumble and fall while they avoided touching her and being kicked for it, listen to her without saying a word and breathing so quietly that sometimes Andromeda thought they were dead.

She grabbed an Apple that was going to be used to prepare a cake and sit in the table. She hadn´t even bite it when a brown owl entered through the window and crashed against her lap, wattering her pijama. Andromeda let an amusement scream escaped from her and got to her feet inmediatly letting the bird fall into the ground while trying to clean the disaster it made of her clothes. Then she saw the seal in the letter and she run to grab it with shacking hands.

_Hogwarts School of wizardry and witchcraft_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear misses Black,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Andromeda never though she would be able to screamed as loud as she did or to run as fast as she could to her parents bedroom. She never imagine herself roughly opening the door and exclaiming exited, jumping up and down, that she had been accepted to Hogwarts.

What she did imagined was the discomfort her mother would show after such disrepectful act.

"Silence! Have you believe this is a country yard? Haven´t your father and I taught you manners? Unacceptable! Imprudent!" Her mother raised her hand and slapped her so hard it made her skin burned.

"I-I´ve been accepted into Hogwarts"

Druella Black just raised an eyebrown in her perfect face that never show any emotion "And where else did you think you might get accepted? ¿Durmstrang? Sincerely Andromeda, it wasn´t necessary that you screamed because of an useless piece of parchment. Did you belive it would not arrive?"

In her mind the images of Bellatrix singing and Narcissa clapping kept on repeating, but in front of her mother she just denied it.

Her mother opened the door so she could go out and before it was close she grabbed her by the arm, her nails clawing at her skin. When Andromeda raised her eyes she knew by the look in her mother´s face that the next time she dared entered her parents room withouth permission she was going to get something bigger than a slap.

"Who would have tell? You resulted less Squib than what I expected"

Bellatrix was standing agaisnt the door of her bedroom flauting a smile that gave Andromeda chills. She limited herlsef to raised her head with pride.

"I´ve been accepted into Hogwarts" She repited the same thing she told her mother "Try now to prove I am the disgrace of the Black family, Bella"

Bellatrix didn´t erased the smile off her face howewer and started to play with a string of her hair while looking at her sister with a malevolent amusement "You need more than a simple letter to bring honor to our house, Meda. Hogwarts is full of mudbloods, nasty half bloods and blood traitors that pretend to envolve everyone with their stupid costums and ideals about equality. One should have personality for showing them who really deserves to be in charge, and I´m afraid you have as much of that as Cissy has inteligence. It´s non-existent"

"You will see soon enough. I am going to bring the biggest pride to house Black"

Bellatrix let out a chuckle and imitated in the air the slapped their mother gave Andromeda, laughing louder when her sister blushed.

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

It was after the dinner that Andromeda felt really scared.

"I want you to come to my office before you go to sleep"

Those were the only words that came from her father when he arrived from the Ministry and they were enough for Narcissa to look at her as if someone threw her the killing curse and for Bellatrix to probably start inventing a new song so she could mock her.

The three sisters and their mother knew that Cygnus´s Black office was not allowed and that they only had to enter there when someone needed to be punish. Andromeda´s mind was full of excuses to pray for mercy when her father started to torture her because she caused so much stir; But she knew it was useless, begging would only make him angrier because that would show weakness and a Black was never weak.

Showing herself disposed was the only way of not being hurt a lot. But while the clock tick she couldn´t help but to imagine the way her father would impose discipline that night. Would he use the cruciatus curse like that time when Narcissa broke a jar during a party? Or would he grab that horrible knife so he might cut her back for her lack of manners like the time when Bellatrix went out withouth permission? Would he be able to whip her like he did that time when she rejected a candy from her grandmother Irma? Every option was worst than the last and Adromeda was shaking while the hour came closer and closer.

Eventually she had to cope her whole bravery and knocked at the inmense door of her father´s office. The noise was deafening and it seemed to her that it sounded all around the house, filling her ears until they were plugged. Her father opened the door inmediatly and she was forced to enter into a room that was sober decorated.

Some armchairs and marble tables surrounded the room that was painted green and had a Slytherin shield being the only companions she had along her father. Cygnus Black was tall and slim and normally used an aristocratic posture that reflected his grey eyes that were signature of the Black family but that none of his daughters had inherit which showed that the Rosier genetic was stronger in that occasion. Her father asked her to sit with a nod of his head and Andromeda didn´t doubt in obeying, knowing her punishment was gonna be worst if she didn´t move as fast her father wanted her to.

"Do you know how old our family is? We have been part of the magic community for centuries, we can presumme with happiness that our blood has never been mixed with the one of those filthy mudbloods even with the fear of being extint. If it is necessary we will marry between each other to keep our pure blood, which makes us rather important and noble Andromeda. Hogwarts is not longer what it was during it´s glory times since they allowed Dumbledore to be the headmaster and he arrived with the ideals of blood _equality_. Do you understand why that is a lie?

"Because mudbloods are a disgrace to the magical society"

Her father gave a glimpse of a smile that reminded her of Bellatrix "Exactly. Now your chance has arrive to bring honor to your family.

"I will be the best of my class" Andromeda ventured.

"Yes that might be important too but the idea is that you show yourself. You will study with the son of Acleticus Lestrange, Rabastan, and that family is waht we need to keep feeding the Black family. You must show the others how strong you are, how capable you are of catching the glimpse of a pure blood boy that will exalt the name of our family just like Bellatrix does. Did you know she is good friends with Rodolphus Lestrange? Those are the kind of people you should round yourself with! A woman never gets far without a respectful marrige and I want you to remember that Andromeda"

Andromeda studied the words of her father while he studied her with a sick expression.

"What I want to make you understand my dear daughter is that you should have clear that as a family we expect that you follow your sister footsteps. We don´t want a simple witch that knows how to throw spells if that does not bring any proposal with you and you don´t want to disapoint us do you?"

Andromeda assent looking ready even though some part inside of her screamed at the idea of being just like Bellatrix under any circunstance. Her father looked pleased and let her out so she could go to sleep and that was when Andromeda found herself, while she climb the mahogany staircase of the big mannor to arrive to her room, promising that she would do everything that was in her hands to not become the dishonor of the noble and ancestral house of Black.


	2. The strange kid from the Tonks s

**The strange kid from the Tonks´s**

**Disclaimer: **Just the story and some OC are from my creation, the Harry Potter universe and it´s characters belong to J.K Rowling.

**Ted**

Melissa and Abraham Tonks were always told of how weird their youngest son Edward was. It wasn´t because he was bad looking because compare to many other children his age he was handsome and well behave, it was more related to the misterious things that used to happened around the child.

It were things that even Edward ignored until he was 6 years old. It was when their parents had bought a magnificent record-player and he was having fun when suddlenly three windows crashed donw unexpectactly, and there was also the time where her older sister Gina´s hair was painted bright green after they had a discussion even when he told his parents he had nothing to do with it.

At school his Math teacher had had his mouth glued, as If he had comsumed a bottle of Super Glue, just right after he had scowled Ted because he was trying to helped a classmate during his sustentation just to save him from the Summer School. Or that nasty git that enjoyed to punched all the kids that were smaller than him and was strangely pushed against a mud puddle because of a excess in gravity just when Ted was conveniently walking around. Those were the reasons why no one wanted to be close to him.

He was sure that everyone at Bristol were agreeing that the boy with the sweet eyes held a dark secret. And Ted himself had already accepted that he was going to be a black sheep that would never fit in because he also felt that something was wrong.

If he concentrated enough he could make the most strange things happen: Once he blew up a tubing just to prove if what his neighbors said about him was true and discovered while his parents cleaned the terrible flood and Gina screamed that he had supernatural abilities. Could it be that he was the next Clark Kent? But inside he denied it, he had never received a radioactive bath and incredible things only happened in books.

Nonetheless he agread that he had to trained for using them to bring the well being just so he could simply annoy all those old gossipy ladies that change from Street after they saw his mom walking. If he was going to be a peculiar child then he would be the best at it.

And years went and come until one morning of July when something arrived to his doorstep that changed his life forever. Ted was normally never sent by his parents to checked the mail because he might lose some letters but Gina went out that morning and they decided to take the risk. It was something good because there was a letter with a bright seal that was directed to him.

The only persons that wrote to Ted were his grandparents and oftenly the letters had Gina´s name before his, but this one didn´t even had a postcard from Scotland and was from other place. It came from a School.

Ted was already signed into the private boarding school at Scotland that his father attended so he could live with his grandparents and prevent him form receiving rude comments from classmates that already knew him, and he knew the name from it wasn´t Hogwarts. Yet he couldn´t help but to open the letter and nothing could describe his amussment.

He was a wizard! A real wizard! Not like those who had bunnies coming out of their hats but one that could go to an special school to be taught how to handdle his powers and was gonna be confirmed when a professor of the School came to explain all the possible doubts that might come with the revelation. It was amazing! Fabulous!...If only his parents had thought the same.

"Do you belive this is funny? What wrong can it make to Ted telling him he is a wizard? This is unacceptable Gina!"

His sister had her eyes full of tears that were already coming down her cheeks while she tried to explain to their parents along with Ted that she hadn´t done anything "It´s true!" Exclaimed the blond boy with rush " I am a wizard! That is the reason why I do strange things. I will study magic!

"You are not either strange or magical and you also don´t do weird things. And you are definitly not a wizard, Edward.

"But they say so in there mom! What is wrong with something good finally happening to me?" He yelled with blurry eyes over his sister´s screams.

Yet his parents didn´t paid attention to them and sent them to sleep, keeping the letter in a drawer and forbidden them to speak of it ever again. And Ted had to resigned himself to believe while he climbed the staircase that maybe he was just the strange kid everyone somehow seamed to see.

Days went by and Gina was punished by their parents because ´You wrote a ridiculous letter fooling your brother´ and yet something inside Ted told him that it couldn´t be just a lie. The thruth had to be hidden somewhere and his sister wasn´t cruel enough to just fooled him like that, right? But the person that was supposed to come and explain everything never appeared. Or so he though until the morning of July the 19th.

It was only four in the morning when strong knocks in their door woke up everyone in the number six of Garden Street. Ted´s mom and father woke with a rush and went down to see who was making such a scandal during an hour where it was not good to visit. Their screams were what drag Gina´s and Ted´s attention and made them run to find the funniest scene ever when they discovered a man with blonde hair and brownish´s eyes lying down their door as if he was an old families friend.

Gina followed their parents example of screaming and sticking to the railing with fear but it was Ted who had all the stranger´s attention.

"Tonks, Edward?"

"Y-Y-Yes"

"Incredible! I must have knocked in four different houses before arriving. You muggles have a serious problem making numerations, I don´t remeber it being that way when I was a child. Of course, Minerva has some kind of sixth sense to find directions, it might be for her cat part I guess. Well, do you have something to drink? This might take a long time."

His mom looked ready to have a mental breakdown but his dad stood up and while putting all his family behind him confronted the man with those crazy eyes "Listen to me carefully gentleman. If you don´t exit my house before I count to ten I will call the police and make sure I´ll got you arrested for entering my house without permission, Am I being clear?

"Sorry to dissapointed you, Abraham, but things will be easier if you only let me sit with the boy and you three signed the confidentiality agreatment at once so I can explain everything you need to know about Hogwarts. Belive me, my parents are muggles too and they made a bigger scandal than you when they saw a cat become a woman. There is no need to call the muggle police!"

"H-H-H-How do you know m—m-my name? Who are you? What are you?"

The man just smiled and take off his curious purple hat for doing an inclination "I am John Wilson and I teach Arithmancy at Hogwarts School of wizardry and Witchcraft. And I have come here to inform you about everything you will need to know before sending Edward to start his magical education. May I sit now?"

"You lose yourself with this prank. Where did you get the actors?" But his sister only fainted rather than answering him and that showed Ted that this could only be true.

After his parents acommodated professor Wilson in the living room, Gina was plainly concious and everyone was sit to prevent future faintings it was when they started to talk. The man let out a flying quill and then a large wand that it seemed was made of oak before he looked at the Tonks´s.

"Well, where should I begin with?"

"What do you mean with Hogwarts? What´s it interest with Ted?"

Professor Wilson rested himself in the couch "You´ll see, Melissa, Hogwarts is one of the many wizadry schools all around the world. But we have a particularity and it is that we accept every single witch and wizard not caring about their blood statues and that´s the reason why when a one is born we inmediatly register it just so when they turned eleven their letter´s arrived and they could come to the school to learn the basic about our world: History, defence, transfigurations and charms all taught by a responsible wizard or witch. Ted is part of these new generation."

"But…but I didn´t delivered any application form"

"Haven´t you heard? The quill registered you when you were born! It might be possible that none of your parents have magical abilities, but that doesn´t mean that you have less oportunities at school. And blood is just a stupid concept that only stubborn and old families value by the way."

Information buzzed around Ted´s head and he lost any concentration about what professor Wilson was telling his parents. It was true then? He was a wizard born from…? What was the name? Muffles? He didn´t care! Here there was a man finally explaining all the concerns he had about the weird things that happened to him, giving him a solution for them. He would learn magic!

"…Dumbledore who is the most brilliant and capacitated wizard ever that Hogwarts has seen since it´s foundation. There is no one better than him to trust the security of your son!"

He would learn how to change the colour of his hair, how to dissapear, a whole history of a world apparently hidding away from people like his parents and sister. It will be great!

"…And then Slytherin leave the school, they say he left a secret chamber that hides a monster ready to kill wizards and witches that are like Ted and I but nobody has ever died! Except for Moaning Myrtle who likes to harass girls in a bathroom, but taking into account that she was unsufferable while being alive whoever killed her did us a favor."

Were there families with only wizards and witches among them? Could Ted meet them? He was dying only for imagining being the friend of a wizard´s family! Would he have a wand like professor Wilson? Could he take an animal to the school? He always liked snakes…

"…There is also a forbidden forest full with dangerous creatures that could murder anyone but no student has died there since 20 years ago, so there is no risk. Now you are going to sent the child, aren´t you?"

"What you say Ted?"

The answer didn´t wait to come out of his mouth and he was sure angels were singing and his face was brightning "Really? When do classes begin? I want to go there now!"

Professor Wilson smiled and Ted noticed for the first time in years how a relieved look appeared at his parents´s face that lower down his happiness. He knew how many troubles he had cost them and now more than ever did he understood that they were only his magical powers´s fault that he might never live in peace with them because he would always find a way of ruining it.

"What is that?"

Professor Wilson raised a paper that was put in the table and got Ted out of his depressive thoughts that almost made him feel sad about accepting "It is name a magical confidentiality agreatment. _´Us Abraham, Melissa and Gina Tonks swear not to reveal any information about Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witcharft location and the magical sociaty problems along with the identity of Edward Tonks who will now began his magical studies. If we did we know that a curse will be set upon us and that we will be investigated by the Ministry of Magic in charge now of the Minister of Magic Nobby Leach´ _Was it clear?"

Even though his parents and Gina were not thrilled by the prospect of being cursed they had no other option but to signed. Professor Wilson kept his smile the whole time and saved the paper to start giving them instructions about how to arrive to the Diagon Alley and telling them the schedule and exact way to arrive to platform 9 ¾. When the moment when he was finally gone came Ted Tonks could not believe his luck.

On the other hand the nighbors were chatting how a strafalarious man went out of the Tonks´s home and told each other the pity they felt for the strange kid of the Tonks´s.


	3. A Friendly Ride

**A friendly ride**

**Disclaimer:** J.K Rowling was the one who created the Harry Potter universe. I only own the story and some characters.

**Andromeda**

Days seemed to run by till the moment where Bellatrix and Andromeda had to go to Hogwarts. The morning of the first of september arrived to Black Mannor like lightning in a storm, sharpenning the looks and ears of the family and filling the house with the noise of the house elves while they dragged the girls´s trunks. Their father had already leave for the Ministry as always, but he didn´t lose time on going to Andromeda´s bedroom to remind her of what they had talked.

"A Black is not like other wizards, we are better. And you shall not be the one who brings disappointment to our name. Remember that, Andromeda."

He left her room after he pronounce his threat and let her imagine how bad the punishment might be if she didn´t fulfill the expectations they had on her. The knot in her stomach was always present as she dressed and went out with her mother and older sister to Kings Cross, barely having the time to say goodbye to Narcissa.

Like other years the station looked like a hotbed of families that were ready to say goodbye to their children so they could begin a new year at Hogwarts. Druella Black took them to a corner and stared at the blood traitors and muggle borns with disgust, grabbing her daughters´s shoulders as if she believed they would infected them with their equality ideals just by looking at them. Bellatrix looked like a younger versión of their mother and she looked she might have been thinking on all the damage she will cause them if one of them dared to speak to her as an equal; Andromeda wanted to have that expression too but her exictement made it impossible for her to focus on those few wizards that were not pure bloods or had treasoned the firm ideals her family respected.

When the moment of departing was coming her mother postioned herself in front of them with her perfect blond hair shinning and her brown eyes cold and despicable. Andromeda tought her mother must have been very beautiful when her father met her but now everything was hidden in a facade of coldness that she never shut down.

"I hope you know very well that I will not tolerate a single bad report from both of you, it is not proper of a lady to be recognized as some desorganized always talks good of you when he writes your father and I, continue like that and you might become a prefect next year" She told Bellatrix and Andromeda couldn´t help but to notice that there was some shining proudness in her stare. She turned around to see her and she had already recovered her usual coldness "Don´t overstep the rules, don´t misbehave with your professors and on top of everything don´t you dare to speak with those ugly mudbloods and blood traitors. Go."

The two sisters started to walk down to the train and Adromeda whitnessed the first and only time her sister ever helped her, cause she was the one who pulled her trunk up. The happiness didn´t last howewer because as soon as they were into the train her sister turned around and left her to sit with her friends in a vagon. But that did not bother Andromeda, who wanted to distance herself from Rodolphus Lestrange who had a lunatic air surrounding him and make her feel terribly scared.

She walked throught several compartments until she found one that was completely empty and decided to enter there so no one will bother her. Her nervousness was eating her alive and she didn´t want anyone disturbing her and wanting to become her friend, because she knew that she could only hang out with families that bring some sort of benefict to her own or in the contrary she was going to disappoint her parents. And Andromeda shake at the thought of disappointing her father at the first chance.

The train started to move and she only stared out the window and allow her to dream of how Hogwarts would be. She had never asked Bellatrix and didn´t dare to do it with her parents because curiosity was not well received in her house, so she let herself consume about incredible thoughts of the things she was gonna discover: The food and the classrooms and the classes and the ghosts that roam around the castle distracted her so much that she didn´t notice there was already someone sitting in front of her.

"I must be very lost. When did I allow you to sit here?"

"You didn´t but I asked more than three times and you never answered with a no."

Andromeda stared with anger at the boy. Didn´t he knew who he was talking to? "I also never said yes so you shouldn´t be here. Have you never learned any manners?"

"You were the one who never answered! I did not know the train was yours, princess. Does my lady want me to bring her soup?"

"You are being impertinent!"

The boy snorted and Andromeda resigned herself to ignore him. If she couldn´t throw him out then she will make him leave by not paying attention to him, she was not in the mood to deal with some brute barbain. The boy also thought the same and just limited himself to look at his hands while she looked throught the window, but he couldn´t keep the silence for so long. That stranger seemed to have the necesity of talking about anything.

"Are you a first year too?" Andromeda kept staring at the landscape "Do you know how long the ride will be? I am ready to arrive! I heard there is some kind of spirit that lurks in the corridors and that there are secret passages, Is that true? Must be impressing. They also say that the castle has thousands of staircases that move alone and change their positions, but I hoped that´s just a lie because I am quite clumsy and I´m sure I will get lost very fast. What do you think?"

"Do you ever breathe?"

"You can talk! Great, I thought you were some kind of statue."

The boy got her dizzy and she coulnd´t catched some things he blurted out. Was this a prank her sister made? Had she paid this boy to disturb Andromeda to make her understand that she needed to be away from her during the school year? If that was it then the message was clear, now what she wanted the most was for the boy to leave as fast as he had arrived.

Before she could answered him that she didn´t want to established any kind of conversation with him and for that mattered she wanted him to exit as soon as he can but a fat witch arrived with an enormous trolley full of candies "Do you want something, sweetings?"

"What do you like? I invite" Andromeda looked at him as if a second head had came out of his neck and was spitting fire "Come on! I owe you that, just tell me what you want and I´ll buy it. If not I will buy you something according to my suspicions."

Her mouth was unable to move so she could pronunce a logic sentence. Never someone different from her parents had bought her something and they only did it when they needed to show other families how much money the Black family had to gave her daughters the best. Was this strange kid, who she barely knew, talking seriously when he said he was about to buy her something? The answered to that came when the boy stood up and gave the trolley witch enough money to acquire three chocalte frogs, four Fizzing whizzbees, and five pumpkin pies. Just when the trolley witch close the door to their compartment the boy turned around and handed her the three chocolate frogs.

"Do you like them? You Never answered but they look delicious, nonetheless I bought these other things in case you don´t like them. Do you prefer pumpkin pies? Or would you like to…"

"Do you always talk so much?" Andromeda started to undone the package to one of her chocolate frogs. Her parents weren´t fond of buying them sweets and it was very rare that they let them consume them.

"Only when I am nervous, my parents always say that I tend to babble a lot and that´s why I scare people off. Am I doing that with you?"

A hint of a smile tried to get to Andromeda´s lips "Not really"

The boy smiled and opened one of his Fizzing Whizzbees. Andromeda stoped to look outside her window and direct her attention to Morgana who was smiling openly at her from her card. Thinking of saving it for when she arrived to the school she concentrated in the boy who bought it. He was blonde but not the platinum kind like her mother or Narcissa, it was more sandy like and it was messy. He also had blue eyes that reminded her of summer days.

"Do you have a name?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I do! I´m Andromeda."

"Like the star?"

She snorted at the boy´s comment "It´s a galaxy, idiot"

"I´m sorry, galaxy. I´m Edward, but you can call me Ted. If I had friends I´m sure they would."

"If I had?" Andromeda observed him with attention while admiring the way the boy sit like as he was melting in the chair "You are not one to hang around people? Or do you frighten them?"

Ted smiled and bite down at his Fizzing whizzbees "Both options are incorrect, my dear Dromeda. I´m very selective with those who surrunded me. And not many can handdle this" He pointed at his body with a movement that made him look like an eel being electrocuted. This time Andromeda couldn´t help but laugh "And you? What´s your reason for not having friends?"

"What makes you believe I don´t have any friends? And don´t call me Dromeda."

"Well the compartment was empty, there is no other girl sitting here to talk with you about girls stuff and it seemed to me that you were trying to put a hole in the glass as if you had lasser vission. Forgive If I say you look like a loner, Dromeda."

"Why do you suppose my reasons are?"

Ted seemed to really think the question "They are afraid of you or you secretly love silence. Am I right?"

"I am, too, very selective with my friends"

"Does that mean that I passed the prove?"

"Did I?"

They both smiled and Andromeda tried to remember a time in her life where she felt as relax like this with someone. It seemed as if Ted´s happiness was contagious to those who were near, and by some strange motive she couldn´t understand why she liked that.

"In which house do you want to end up?" The question was blurted out unintentionlly, as if her brain wanted to see how appropiative the boy was for presenting him to her parents.

"I read a lot about them in 'Hogwarts: A history', but I don´t really know in wich I will be better at. I guess I really don´t care that much. You?

The answered arrived like some kind of mantra she had been muttering all her life "Slytherin. It would be a honor being part of that house" And my parents will murder me if I don´t go there, she thought of telling him, but at the end she keep it to herself.

"It must be nice knowing what you want. I can barely choose what to wear."

Andromeda knew that going to Slytherin wasn´t a personal choice, it was more like a thing her family expected of her and she would be a disapointment if she didn´t fullfil it. The only one who was in a different house was her Uncle Alphard and nobody in the family have already forgiven him for such treason to the honorable Black name. Whole generations were made in the snakes house and if she couldn´t keep it, How would she mantein her promise of not bringing disgrace to the noble house? "You can´t decide in which house you will be in. That´s the sorting´s hat work, you can only guess your personality treits."

"Does that mean that you are cunning and ambicious?"

"Are you suggesting I am not?"

Ted raised his hands and dedicated a smile to Andromeda that she had never seen "I just say that 'Galaxy'isn´t the name many would relate with someone who wants to be the richiest."

"Oh really? Well Edward is a joker´s name"

"And Andromeda is a stars name!"

"It´s a galaxy! And it´s better than Bellatrix."

She realized what she said before she could stop her tongue to spit it out and worry came to crashed on her. Nonentheless Ted took it with humour "Bellatrix? Is that a warrior´s name?"

"She is my sister"

"Your parent´s choose really extravagant names. Do they have like a book or something where they pick them up? How do you want to name your children? Vulpecula? Vilma?"

"It´s still better than Edward! And they have a meaning."

Ted seemed interested with that, leaning in with his elbows so he could be closer with Andromeda in a way that made her notice some freckless that were spread across his cheeks "Really? What is it?"

"Black´s are powerfull and we expect the best. Our names come from the shinnest stars that covered the universe because we possess an unique light for being brighter than the rest."

"So Andromeda´s the most brilliant galaxy then?" She nodded proud "Just for asking, How big is your ego?"

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

When the train stopped at the Hogsmeade station Andromeda and Ted were the last ones climbing down, basically because she had to taught him how to tie his tie. The two of them walked in the cold night and observed the black sky that was shinning without a moon. Andromeda couldn´t explain her bubling happiness of being near the castle, about to see with her own eyes the magnificent place that would be her home for seven long years.

It didn´t went long till an enormous man who had horrible, wild hair that would have gave her mother a heart attack appeared and told them to share a boat by four people so they could go. Ted forced her to run and she ended up sitting with a chubby boy who had long teeths like a rabbit and a girl with black shinny hair. She didn´t even bother for asking their names because it was obvious that they were never going to speak again.

What lighten their trip were the occasional comments from Ted who seemed genuinely surprise for what he saw. She lost count of how many times she heard him yelped with exictement.

"There is a giant squid!"

"And you are going to meet him soon if you don´t control yourself"

Ted couldn´t help but laugh and Andromeda noticed that the other children looked at him as if they thought he was going to be capable of throwing himself if someone dared him. Soon they saw the various towers of the castle that reminded Andromeda of those nights when she walked around the gardens of her mansion, forgetting for a while that she was a gilr whose destiny was already decided. The boats arrived to the harbor and they dismounted so they could walk towards the enormous doors of the castle where a four feet tall giant could enter.

They were greated by a professor that seemed estrict, with long black hair that was held in a bun and wore a green tunic. Andromeda knew her name for all the times in wich Bellatrix spoke lower of her Transfigurations professor, because Minerva McGonagall loved to punish her and on top of it all was the head teacher from the house that had the biggest amount of mudbloods and blood traitors.

Professor McGonagall looked at them and then turned around to greet the giant.

"I hope none of them gave you trouble, Hagrid"

"Not at all, professor. Enjoy the feast!"

McGonagall nodded and receive the little children that were going to be sorted in a few moments. They walked until they arrived to an empty room where professor McGonagall arranged them. She didn´t even need to speak louder or asked for silence.

"You are about to enter the Great Hall were you going to be selected into one of the four houses from the school. From now on, your houses will be like a family, you will sleep in your common rooms and assure or rest them points all throught the year for trying to win the house cup at the end of the term. I´ll be back in a few minutes to take you there."

"House cup? This just keeps getting better and better!"

Andromeda looked at Ted with new interest. Bellatrix always talked about how Slytherin had been winning since four years ago leaving almost every other house behind for almost 1000 points of difference "No one ever told you about the competion?"

Ted denied "I must have been distracted during the part where they mention it in 'Hogwarts: A history'. Wait until I tell Gina about all this!"

"Gina?"

"My sister. I assure you she will go mad when I tell her about everything that happens around here!"

Andromeda perfectly understood Gina and was jealous that she had someone like Ted to explain her everything before she came to the castle. She wondered how long would it be until she meet the boy´s sister and if she also had that charming personality that made her brother especial.

"When she will come?"

"Gina? It´s not possible. They told us that the letter arrive when you were eleven and she is already fourteen and she doesn´t have any magical ability by the way."

Andromeda felt pity for the girl and put her hand on top of Ted´s shoulder as a way of giving him confort "I´m sorry that you have an Squib in your family."

"Squib? Professor Wilson called her different. Isn´t it muggles?"

"Is time to enter. Go on!"

Her stomach twirled at Ted´s confession. Andromeda felt sick and she didn´t knew if it was with the boy because he dared to speak to her as if they were equals or with herself for being so naive. What would her parents say if they found out she spoke with the boy? What would they do to her if they discovered she laugh with him? How much hate would her family show her when they knew she had received him food? Bile was climbing inside her throat and she thought she was gonna throw up. She couldn´t let them know. She wouldn´t let them know.

But most importantly she would keep Ted away. She was a Black and mudbloods were nothing more than repulsive creatures that should not exist.

On top of a chair there was an old hat that Andromeda recognized as the Sorting Hat. Her heart was beating against her chest every time she felt Ted move beside her, a part of her wanting to scream at him to back off before her older sister realized what he was and told her family. But at the same time other part of her that was surely infected told her to keep him close, wanted him close before she had to erase any track of him.

"Albernathy, Susan!"

Why did he have to be a mudblood? Why couldn´t he be a blood traitor?

"Ambrosian, Jack!"

Could Bellatrix find out that she talked with someone like him on the train? Would the kids from the boat tell her about it? Andromeda´s head hurt just by thinking what her sister might do to her for laughting with a filthy mudblood.

"Annuet, Ernie!"

She wouldn´t talk to him. She couldn´t talk to him. Never again.

"Black, Andromeda!"

She walked with fast steps but without losing the grace and proudness that her mom and sister had, more to get away from Ted than to actually arrive. She felt her legs trembeling and she was sure she was going to faint. The last thing she saw before professor McGonagall put her the hat was Ted smiling at her from the line of kids and couldn´t help to feel better at that simple gesture.

´What do we have here? You are a particular child, that is true. You have pure blood and a wish to show that you are better than what it´s expected from you, you are talented and Slytherin would help you on your way to glory…but you are also smart. Your inteligence is amusing and well used you could help a lot of people and Ravenclaw values that. Where should I put you?´ Andromeda felt her heart collapsing. If she didn´t went in Slytherin she could well say she was already dead, her parents would only allow her home to throw her a crucio and then kick her out. She could not be a traitor, she would not give Bellatrix the pleasure of fulfilling her biggest fantasie ´That´s it! I´ve got it! But between the two of us you would have been a good Ravenclaw.´

"Slytherin!"

Andromeda got up quickly and a little dizzy but smiling and walked towards the table that received her with screams and applauses. She didn´t even look at Ted while she started to make her way and it wasn´t long when her sister pushed her onto one chair and smiled at her proudly for the first time, as if Andromeda was the new trophy to show off. That fact made her believe that the Sorting Hat had made the wrong choice.

The kids kept walking and their names resounded all around the hall. There were a few Gryffindors and Ravenclaws until they called ´Tonks, Edward´ and Andromeda did everything she could to disimulate that she wanted to look where would he end up at. She cursed herself when she she saw that the Sorting Hat had barely touch his head when it send him to Hufflepuff, being unable to explaing why she was so happy for that inferior boy.

"Why is that boy looking over here? Just by sitting in his table he realized how useless his house is?" Exclaimed Rabastan Lestrange provoquing the laughs from all their group of friends.

Bellatrix nonetheless noticed something the others ignored " But he is looking at little Andromeda!" Andromeda tried to think an excuse good enough to give her sister who was looking intendly at her.

"He is just some nasty mudblood who tried to talk to me at the entrance. It looks like there are some people who can´t understand what they role is"

The answer pleased her sister but for some unexplainable reason Andromeda felt dirty for saying it.


	4. Of mudbloods and prejudices

**Of mudbloods and prejudices**

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. I am only a fortunate soul who decided to write a story about these lovely beans.

**Ted.**

"Slytherin!" Ted clapped as loud as he could while Andromeda stood up and walked towards a lousy table. He had hoped she would return the smile he gave her, but he only watched her move without aknowlegde him.

Ted let that slipped away and waited paintently for his turn, hoping that after he was selected he would have more time to talk with Andromeda. Kids normally ran away from him because they thought he was only a weird boy, but this chocolate hair girl was different. She exulted an aura of power and aristocracy that made it impossible for him to stay away.

And she was the first girl who laughed with him and enjoyed his company. Ted didn´t want that the only friendship he had formed almost inmediatly went lost because he had strange behaviours, especially when Andromeda came from an only wizards family.

He could already seen the amazing things that would happen to him.

The selection continued the most boring way for an hyperactive eleven year old boy. Many children went to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw but few ended up at Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Ted guessed that they were rather important so that not everybody entered there, but at the same time convinced himself that he would go to into the lousy lion table or the shy eagle one. He wasn´t so pompeous as Andromeda for ending up at an important table when he barely had money to waste.

He didn´t notice when professor McGonagall called his name and one of the boys from the line had to pushed him to force him to walk. With his cheeks painted crimson he sitted at the stool with legs shacking, seeing the hat coming closer. Before they put it on him, his bright blue eyes tried to found his new best friend´s brown ones so he could dedicate her the most brilliant smile ever made, but he discovered with surprise that she was looking intendly at a girl a few years older who looked like Andromeda, and Ted guessed it was Bellatrix.

_´This one´s easy, so I see´_ Was the only thing he heard the hat said before it screamed out loud "Hufflepuff!"

Ted got up smiling with amusement and ran towards the table that was clapping and where some boys have stood upon the seats to receive him with encouragement. Falling into his own seat, his eyes started to look for Andromeda again, convinced that she was going to look at him now. Sadly, his stare collided with a pair of brown eyes that belong to who he thought was Bellatrix and he perfectly understood why Andromeda was so afraid of her.

He had never seen such eyes that look more like deep wells with no exit. Even at a long distance he could see something strange, maybe a hidden insanity or even pure cruelty, gleeming while a wicked smile transform her beautiful face. The girl said something out loud that left many of those close to Andromeda in silence, Ted saw her answering something even thought he couldn´t said what. Seeing that the smile in Bellatrix face didn´t dissappear he suppoused it was something of her liking and felt happy that at least that night Andromeda could enjoy a happy dinner.

The selection finished when the last boy was sent to Ravenclaw, but the most extravagant man Ted ever saw stood up to speak some words. His white beard reached the waist of his purple tunic, and with those half moon glasses and weevil hat Ted´s mom would have believe him to be a religion fanatic or a tramp that was seeking money. Ted simply wanted to know where he bought his clothes.

" Welcome, new and old students, to a new tearm at Hogwarts! For security measures I only wish to reminded you all that the forbidden forest is still, as it´s name clearly says, forbidden even when you considered it appropriate for your secret reunions. Our caretaker, miss Amory, has put a new list of not allowed products from Zonko´s stores, especially since the Fireworks explosions that ocurred last year at the dungeons. Now, seeing that I can hear your stomachs roaring, let´s eat!"

The plates inmediatly filled with thousands of exotic foods that Ted could only have dreamed before: From pumpkin cakes, to figg pastels, lamb and more and the students were distributing them one by one during one of the best welcome back feast´s ever.

Ted was finishing one pumpkin cake when it was announced that the prefects had to take their new students to their common rooms. He raised his head once more and his eyes finally met those from Andromeda, who stared back at him for a few seconds that were enough for the boy to feel happy. Maybe they were both tired and surely tomorrow they would talk about everything that happened more calmly.

Ted noticed that his prefects were a boy with brown hair and amber eyes that was shouting at his partner, a small blond girl with long teeth, about the posibility of failing his potion´s NEWT if she didn´t help him that year. The girl apparently thought it was more important to lead the new students to their common room than helping who she said was ´An irresponsible and good for nothing boy´ and strangely Ted already felt home. Walking by with ten more children, they wander long halls and thousands of moving staircases.

He wasn´t sure how long has it passed before they arrived to a corridor that was near a pear´s portrait. Going right, Robin, the blond girl, took out her wand and turned around to look at the expectant children.

"For entering our common room you will need to learn a song. I don´t think it´s necessary that I remaind you that no one from other houses can come in unless they have an especial permission from professor Sprout, our head house."

"That only happened once, and I was twelve" Charles murmured, apparently amazed with his insignia.

"The song´s rythmn is very easy- two in the right then three in the left then four going down and one going up- you all have to do that with this one" She touched the last barrel "Otherwise it won´t work and you will need a strong bath to take off the vinegar smell. Understood?"

Ted was memorizing mentally the rythm in his head because if he was sure of something, was that he didn´t want to arrive to class smelling like vinegar. After Robin touched the barrel like she told them to, they all saw how the rest of barrels turned around and lead them throught a passage that ended up in a room with many chairs and sofas that were painted yellow and black, with a badger´s shield on top of the biggest chimney.

"Now I will asked the girls to follow me to their dorms while the boys stay with Charles. Welcome to Hufflepuff!"

Charles took out from his right pocket a pergamine that was very wrinked and stood up in the first step of the staircase while he tried to read it. "That´s it! Well, it´s suppossed that you can´t change your dorm so if you don´t like one of your dorm mates just ignored it, because I assure you that Sprout won´t do anything giving thought that she is a fan of us all being friends and that stuff. Okay, in the first doorm the one´s that will have to sleep together for the next seven years are Wilson, Howell and Abbott. The second dorm, which is the one in the left, belongs to Tonks, Smith and Bones."

The boys didn´t doubt to start making their way and entered the rooms that belong to them until they finish their magical education. Ted had to admit that it was enormous, warmer that he thought and the beds were beautyly decorated with a dosel that was also yellow and black. His trunk was already beside the bed next to the window.

"Did your parents want you to end up here?"

Bones was a red hair and cubby boy and Ted started to think that he had too many nervous manners, as if he believed that someone might kick him anytime. Smith was the exact opposite- he had an aristocratic demeanor, he had fine features and his light blond hair was perfect as if it wasn´t allow that one single hair was out of order. In a funny way he reminded Ted of Andromeda´s sister.

" Of course they do!" Smith was already comfortably sit on his bed and was looking at Bones as if he thought he was nothing "For generations my family has always ended up in Hufflepuff. It would be a shame for them if I had ended up somewhere else. And by the way, Which house is better than ours?"

Ted spoke withouth thinking "Slytherin"

It was as if he had let a bomb fell in the middle of the room. Bones looked at him with wide eyes and Smith finally met his eyes. Growing up friendless and with just one older sister to mess with, Ted was not used to be the centre of attention and couldn´t help but to lower his head to stop looking at Smith´s bright brown eyes.

"Slytherin?" The name left Smith´s lips like poison "Well, if you like to live with vipers, then that is your house"

Perhaps it was what Andromeda had told him during their trip or the anger that it caused him to hear someone insulting his friend´s home, but something possessed Ted in those moments to talk "It´s a good house! I heard they accept ambicious and talented persons who want to make a change. What´s the matter with that?"

"What´s the matter with that? They´re ambicious because they would do anything to anyone who steps on their way to success, ¿Talented? At doing harm, at making revolutions and becoming dark wizards and did you said making changes? The only thing that feds their minds is finding ways to keep control over everything. They are wicked!"

" We all are wicked within!" Ted was starting to sweat and that their room maintain itself warm was not helping "You do realize that you sound like someone with a lot of prejudices?"

Smith let out a dried laugh " Are you calling me a prejudiced while defending them? Tell me something, are you muggle born?"

"What does that have to do with them?"

"They are not okay with muggle borns coming to Hogwarts" Bones said with a lower voice that was barely audible for Ted and Smith "They really like to keep the pure blood of mages"

"They repude you, that´s the truth. Just tell one Slytherin that you have normal parents and they would already look at you up and down while saying how little of a thing you are"

Ted remembered the laughs with Andromeda, that she helped him tied his tie with a pure smile on her face, that she asked him about his family. She wasn´t like them, what Bones and Smith were telling him were lies "Liars" He ended with the discussion "Not everyone has to filled the same sack"

Smith shrugged "Say what you want, but no one from Slytherin would hang out with a mudblood" He saw the grin at Ted´s face and Smith smiled petulantly "You don´t like that name, do you? Get used to it, Tonks. It´s already your mark."

The lights went down and Ted lasted a long time looking at the cealing while thinking about everything they had fought about with his new room mates. Maybe Bellatrix was like they had described Slytherins, but not Dromeda and he was sure of that. Some day he would show his dorm mates that not all Slytherins believed he was lesser for being a mudblood or rule their lives throught stupid prejudices

And with that idea, sleep finally attacked him.


	5. A prideful snake

**A prideful snake**

**Disclaimer: **Neither the Harry Potter universe or it´s characters belong to me. I just created a beautiful story about this couple.

**Andromeda**

When she woke up the next morning, Andromeda felt that she barely slept at all. It didn´t matter the comfortable bed she had slept in nor that her new dorm mates already treated her as if she was from royalty, her dreams left her terrified and woke her up cold and sweaty.

Ted was in them and while they were walking hand in hand Bellatrix came in with her parents. Before Andromeda could yell at Ted to run and save him, her dad came closer and used a levitating spell for breaking them apart; Andromeda tried to help him, but her sister caught her by the arm and forced her to see how they tortured Ted until the moment when her dad looked at her and said "You are such a disapointment. This is what you should do with rottening things before they grew more rots. _Avada Kedavra!_"

Even when she was taking a hot bath she could feel the cold, the scream that got suck by her throat but the most terrible thing was that she still could see Ted´s unmoving face with eyes wide open while he fell dead at her feet. She couldn´t even explain why it bother her that much. She knew that Ted was just a mudblood whose destiny should be dead in order to purify the wizardry society, but then why was she so scared about what could happen to him?

Andromeda convinced herself that in fact she was more scared about what her parents and older sister would do to her if they found out that she had talked and treated like an equal someone like Ted, so she recomposed easily and finally came out of the bathroom to confront her new dorm mates.

Few students made it to Slytherin, most of them from highly rename and powerful families in the magical world. Fortunatley for Andromeda, she had the pleasure of sharing her room with Alecto Carrow and Annelisse Yaxley, ladies that her father would consider aproppiate for a near future: Both of them had brothers who would made an excellent match for any of the Black sisters.

"It´s amuzing, isn´t it?" Mentioned Annelisse while they made their way downstairs and into their common room "The castle is enormous and I heard that when they celebrate parties such as Christmas and Halloween they tend to decorate it beautifully"

Alecto was many foots taller than Annelisse and Andromeda, so the saying ´Looking down at you´ was more than appropiate when reffering to her. If Andromeda realized, she wasn´t pretty: Her skin was so pale that she always look sick and her eyes were too separete between them, also her front teeth were twisted. Andromeda was sure that it wasn´t going to be easy for Alecto´s parents to find her a husband.

"It´s not as if any of us would stay here during Winter break" She murmured while eyeing the little children that were waiting for older siblings or cousins in the house.

Annelisse shruged in a way that would produce goosebumps to Andromeda´s mother "What´s so wrong about wanting to stay here just to see the decorations?"

"Our parents would never, unless it´s for something important, let Andromeda and me stay at a School under the supervision of an impure fanatic such as Albus Dumbledore."

Andromeda turned around just in time to see Bellatrix sutbly laying on a sofa in the common room. Her black hair was tied on a pony tail that remarked the Black family features, and those deep brown eyes were wearing a bit of make up. Andromeda couldn´t help but notice that many students were avoiding walking in front of her, so she guessed that it was because they were terribly afraid of her older sister just like her.

Andromeda agreed courtestly to her sister´s comment and walked with safe steps to where Bellatrix was "Our parents would never allow us to spend so much time around mudbloods either."

Bellatrix smiled towards her sister and, for some strange reason, this incovenient Andromeda more than the hope she wouldn´t. It was as if the simple fact of knowing she had her good view was more repulsive than receiving her hateful jokes and bad treatment, things that she was already used to at home.

"Aren´t you planning on introducing your friends, Andy?"

"Of course" Answered the girl gently, not even bothering to clarify that she still didn´t have any kind of relationship with the other girls "These are Annelisse Yaxley and Alecto Carrow, Bella"

Alecto inmediatly walked closer with a superiority expresion on her face and extended her hand, that Andromeda was afraid she would lose, towards Bellatrix who simply grabed it with absolute liking. This thing completely uneasing Annelisse.

Alecto spoke with a sweat voice that was full with admiration "My brother is always talking about you at home during summer. He says you are an amazing duelist."

"Well, leave it to Amicus the understimate himself" Bellatrix let out a laught that Andromeda only heard during their family reunions, specially when someone was complementing her "Yet I must admit that your brother is also a gifted wizard. No one maneges non verbal spells like he does"

"Corban says you are a fast learner" Said Annelisse, wanting so bad to be part of the conversation "He has never seen such a young girl learning everything she can in all her lessons"

Andromeda watched with fun how far the hypocrital people would go. The Yaxley family and the Carrows were important, but not like the Blacks, so it must have been logical that the girls were trying to grow fond with Bellatrix and Andromeda just to settle a better status for their families. Specially if they could convince the sisters to help them show their parents that they were a perfect match for a marriage between Sirius, who was the heir of the family fortune, or Regulus.

But honestly, Andromeda felt sorry for the girl who tied the knot with her cousin. She could break into a bark of innapropiate laughter just by imagining Alecto or Annelisse trying to deal with a sharp tongue and famous for his revolutionary ideas, Sirius.

"Corban is an excellent friend, I have learned a lot with him" Andromeda felt doubtful about the true behind her sister´s words, but didn´t comment anything about it. Bellatrix nonetheless seamed bored of having to talk with two girls that were only useful for making ridiculous comments and turned around towards her sister "Would you acompany me to the Great Hall, Andy? I don´t want you to get lost during your first day of classes."

"Of course" She answered even when a voice inside her head yelled at her to refuse it. With a brief assent she said goodbye to the other girls and the two Black sisters made their way.

The dungeons´s halls were very cold and Androme understood it was because they were under the Blake Lake. The armors also looked a bit more darker and some of the portraits were of wizards that her parents revered sickly thanks to the conception they had about pureblood importance; she didn´t expect Bellatrix to talk in a near future, but her hopes were destroyed soon enough.

"Father and Mother will be happy to know that you have made friendship with those families. The Yaxley´s are controlling the ministry and it´s obvious that Corban is going to adquire an enormous title when he graduates next year, but he is older than you which means we would have to convince him to wait for a marriage arrangeament with you at the end of your seventh year. Won´t be difficult, you are gorgeous and we have the Black and Rosier fortunes on our side.

"Do we have to talk about marriage now?"

Bellatrix snorted with exasperation "Defenitly! What do you think you are going to do this year? You must analize possible candidates and bring them home so Father could have better relationships.

"But I´m just eleven" Andromeda whispered with fear.

"I´m not asking you to marry now!" Bellatrix stopped her steps and looked at her sister with something that Andromeda noticed was compassion. When she spoke again, her voice that was oftenly sharp came out soft and calm "Do you remember when I came back for Chrismas break in my first year?" Andromeda assented "Father made me go to his office and slapped me because I dedicaded myself more to my studies rather than bringing a guy friend to whom I might spoke with during the family´s party. He took out his wand and did this" Slowly, her sister uploaded her left arm sleeve to reveal a deep scar that looked like a claw. Andromeda covered her mouth to prevent a scream "He told me that he expected better results from me when the semester was over. You must understand, Andy, that I am just trying to prevent you to obtain a punishment like this. The last thing I want is that Cissy or you have to face our father…for something we cannot control."

"I would do my best" She said with a shock voice and for the very first time in years, looking at Bellatrix as if she was human and on top of everything, her older sister.

Bellatrix smiled and hugged her. Giving thought that none of them were used to phisical contact, it was very short but meaningful for both of the Black sisters that finally had something in common.

"I prefer that you become Yaxley´s friend rather than Carrow" Bellatrix mentioned when they were getting closer to the Great Hall "Amicus is on Third year, but he´s not exactly a gentleman. You deserve better."

"Is that why you are friends with Rodolphus?" Bellatrix said yes "Here between us, he has an idiotic face. You deserve something better, too"

Bellatrix let a laugh fell from her lips and smiled towards Andromed with something close to love "Pherhaps you should try with his little brother, Rabastan. At least we would have the chance of laughting at them far more times."

When they entered the Great Hall, with the smell of food lurking at the doors, Bellatrix stopped her and reasumed her tipical serious face "What happenens in our house stays there. Do you see those people? For them you and me belong to the most noble and ancestral house of Black and that is our shield for breaking through. Your pride as a snake is the only thing that forbids you of being locked up, Andy, always remember that."

Andromeda agreed and sit with Bellatrix and her friends while waiting for her scheadule. It was impossible for her not to look up and clash eyes with Ted, who smiled at her from the Hufflepuff table. Andromed sneered at herself when she felt a weak smile formed on her lips and remembered Bellatrix words.

If her father had cut her sister, who was everything a Black aspire to be, just because she didn´t brought a boy with her so that they could use him, What would he do to her if he found out that she had liked a very well behave gentleman who turned out to be a mudblood? Most importantly What would he do to Ted just to keep him away from her?

It was then when Andromeda realized that, even when she didn´t want to but maybe because his good attitude and easy smiles that she would never find home, she had grow fond of the blond boy as a classmate. And being like that, she would make sure of getting him away from her before he got hurt. It seemed like a prideful snake could help a badger escape his predators instead of bitting him.


	6. An imaginary friend

**An imaginary friend**

**Disclaimer: **Just the story and some Oc characters belong to me. The Harry Potter world belogns to the genius J.K Rowling.

**Ted**

Having seen many movies about ghosts on television, Ted had really hoped that having one professor being A GHOST to be the best experience ever. The truth was to be very dissapointed when he realized that professor's Binns only talent was to murder his students thanks to boredom.

History of Magic, during that first week of classes, turned out to be the worst subject he was forced to take: With a professor with sleepy voice, a room where the heat was concentrated and a thousand dates Ted couldn't fully get.

On top of it all, he couldn't pay attention with Andromeda so close.

The girl had ignored him during the whole week and giving though they only shared with each other classes like Charms and History of Magic, they couldn't talk so oftnely; that was making Ted mad because all he wanted was to spent time with his new friend.

Andromeda was sitting with a girl, also from Slytherin, whose last name was Yaxley and aparantly they were best friends now; from all the times that he had tried to come closer Ted always saw the girls together up and down, usually acompany from Rabastan Lestrange and Andromeda's older sister, Bellatrix. Ted felt an unconditional fear for the older girl and reasons weren't short.

Last Wednesday he saw her molesting some first year Ravenclaws. Ted had asked one of the victims how she felt later on and ended up being her friend, but since Hestia Jones didn't share that class with him, he had no one to distract him from the black haired and green tie girl from who he was no longer a priority.

"...five pages essay about what I taught you today" Binns murmured, getting Ted out of his daydreaming "You may leave"

Every one picked up their stuff and headed out for the lunch, and as a custom, Ted gave the girl a smile she didn't returned, before seeing her abandoning the room with a sickening rush; even when he was trying to stay positive the snikering voice of Smith resounded on his head '_Just tell one Slytherin that you have normal parents and they would already look at you up and down while saying how little of a thing you are_'.

That couldn't be the reason why Andromeda was avoiding him. She hadn't seem disgusted when he told her about his family. And they had fun while coming to the school, hadn't they? Then, Why wasn't she going anywhere near him now?

"Did you know that we aren't allow to play Quidditch?" For some reason, Hestia was angry.

Ted blinked with confussion "Is that bad?"

"Of course is bad! Is _Quidditch_!" She looked at his expression and sighed "You have no idea what that is, do you?"

Since they had become friends, Hestia used to tell him everything about the wizandring world; from what food is was best not to eat, till the name of some magical profesions. The black haired girl tended to look as a know-it-all, but Ted was inmmensively greatful.

"It's a sport in which you have to score with a ball named Quaffle, trying to get it through one of the three ring shaped goals while avoiding the keeper, the bludgers that beaters from the other team kick towards you and the seekers are looking for the Golden snitch."

"It sounds dangerous"

"No one has died in a century"

Ted stared back at her with wide eyes "What?"

Hestia gestured as if that had the same importance as falling down the stairs and Ted couldn't understand the actual terrible situation "I talked with professor Flitwick just to see if I could present myself for the team trials, but he just kept denying me and only said 'You are a first year and it's against rules' It's ridiculous! I would've brought a broom this year if my mother had allowed me to."

"You...punch the balls using brooms?" Of everything he had saw (Talking paintings, flavor beans that tasted like vomit, a professor that could turned herself into a cat and professor Dumbledore's robes) Ted wouldn't have found it weird if the answer was affirmative.

"No, you git, they are for flying!"

He apologized to the students which were affected by him spitting his pumpking juice "Do you play it in the air?"

"Of course!" Hestia was beyong excited of introducing someone to what she called 'The dark side', being that sport her comfort zone; "We will have flying classes at the end of October"

"I can barely walk without kicking everything around me, How am I gonna fly while avoiding breaking my head"

"Madame Pomfrey will be able to fix it before your brain falls off"

"Now that's conforting"

Hestia started to tell him about all those books she would borrow him about Quidditch and her favorite teams, always putting first the Holyhead Harpies that she considered were the best team of the world. Sadly Ted had stopped listening to her for looking at Andromeda.

From the Ravenclaw's table he had a different angle towards Slytherin, but that didn't make it impossible for Ted to notice the sad look on those brown eyes. He felt a sudden urge to go and comfort her but threw it away, thinking that if she wanted that Andromeda would be sitting with him along with Hestia.

'_They really like to keep the pure blood of mages_' Could it be? Could Andromeda really believe that he was less than her just because his parents weren't wizards? Was she expecting him to feel embarass about them?

"We have Charms" Hestia picked up her stuff and stood up, but Ted was still looking at the silver and green table "Ted...is everything alright?

He sighed and followed his friend, accepting the worst: Even in the wizandring world, he was still weird. He was just the strange kid of the Tonks's. The mud blood. And even worst than that was the fact that Ted knew how to deal with kids like Andromeda Black: People who tought they were better than anyone for reasons that were unbearably stupid, but never on his life had he imagined that the girl which such a soft smile and sweet laugh would be like them.

That dissapointment was what hurt him the most.

And even with that, as he walked with a Hestia Jones still talking about Quidditch and making him laugh beyond normal, he noticed that those brown eyes were following him every step. And the look Andromeda gave his friend was one of desire that made Ted think about what was actually happening inside her head.

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_Dear mom and dad,_

_Hello! I'm very sorry for not writting you sooner, but my first week of classes was very amuzing and now I have lots of homework to finish. Classes are the best thing Hogwarts can offer you: I have to study Transfigurations, Charms, Potions (Which I will try to improve, 'cause I'm really a disaster) and waaaaaaaay more._

_Just like that I have made many friends during classes, but my best friend right now is a girl named Hestia. She's a Ravenclaw, which is the house of the clever ones, and her parents both work at the Ministry of Magic; she offered to stay with me during Christmas so I could see how it's like here at Hogwarts, meaning that I probably will be home only 'till the semester is over. Sorry._

_I would love to tell you everything about here but there aren't any words to explain, so you would have to tolerate me when I come home. Maybe I could turn a tea pot into a Frog (But I won't, because I'm not allow to do magic outside school until I'm seventeen)_

_I love both of you so much,_

_Ted._

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_Dear Gina,_

_Can you believe I'm writting you a letter? Neither do I. I miss you, but if you ever tell anyone about it I will kick your ass._

_If you're wondering why your letter is apart from the one for Mom and Dad, it's because I need to tell you something personal that I don't want them to read, specially mom giving thought that she would become her psycologist self and will asked me a lot of uncomfortable questions. After you read it, burn the letter or make it dissapear. Please._

_Have you ever feel like you have an imaginary friend that feel so real? Before you panic, I'm not talking about Hestia. It's someone else._

_Her name is Andromeda Black (Like the galaxy) and she's a Slytherin. We met at the train and she's a very charming and funny girl, but now she's avoiding me; my dorm mates said that it's because some radical ideas her family has (Something about not wanting that people like me study magic because my parents aren't wizards. They gave me a nice nickname. It's mud blood), but I want to think she's different._

_Sometimes I think she is going to come and talk to me again, but she only dismisses me. I can assure you that we were really getting on during the first day and we have a lot in common. But I'm afraid that the reason why she's avoding me it's her older sister._

_Her sister enjoys scaring younger kids. I can't understand if she want to fit into her house and that's why Andromeda acts the way she does. I can feel she's a good person, but I'm also terrified at the idea of her getting hurt because of me._

_You're a gir, just hoping you could help me out._

_I love you,_

_Ted._

_PS: Do not send me girly like magazines, It would be embarasing._

_PS 2: Say hello to the owl and give her a cookie. She's from Hogwarts._

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The owlery was one of the biggest rooms in the castle and was located on the top of west tower so you had to walk long miles, meaning that when he arrived Ted took a deep breath while he decided which Owl should be the one carrying the letters.

There was a brown owl that inmediatly came closer from the colum where he was standing and caressed his hand with it's peack, making Ted smile. When Ted showed the letters, the owl instantly unfold it's wings and whired them with proud, stretching it's leg so Ted could wrap them.

He wondered if he should tell the owl how to arrive, or if it was a better idea to just go throught the usual Muggle posting. His neighbors were real gossipers and they could elaborate their own ideas that would only worsen his parents image. It was more than enought with all the lies they had invented after proffesor Wilson went to visited them.

His doubts and worries were interrupted, nonetheless, when he heard a voice behind his back "Just tell it how to go. They are trained to take the mail."

Ted didn't need to turn around for knowing that it was the girl who had captured his mind the one that was at the door. He heard footsteps and realized that Andromeda was now standing beside him, also watching as the owl swagger around.

Ted simply let out a 'Mmmh' and continue his job of wraping the letters to the animal's leg, but because it was showing itsel that was impossible. He was tired that Andromeda constantly avoid him without putting any effor into it, and had already told himself that he would also be scared of getting hurt or being rejected if he was in that position. That's why he was easing things for her, just ignoring her and thinking they have never met. Thinking of her just as an imaginary friend and nothing more.

"Your parents didn't bought you one?" Ted was still tieding the knot, ignoring the girl "Mine only let me use the one from Bellatrix...because she's the oldest, it means that she's responsible of giving them information. And they hate animals, by the way."

"What'd you want? Do I have to signed a confidentiality agreetment where I promise not to tell anyone that I met you or that we talked? Do I have to go and tell your sister that I don't know you?

"I didn't mean..."

"But that's exactly what you are doing!" Ted hadn't mean to explote, he wanted to stop his anger. But that beating dissapointment and the hurtful words from Smith hadn't left his head for days "You only pretend that you never met me, that I'm just a dot in the map and that's it. Why? What made me be less than the great Andromeda Black?" Pain crossed the girl's expression, but that didn't stop Ted "I will tell you what: I'm a mud blood. Isn't that right? If you're wondering if anyone had told me what your house thinks of people like me, my dorm mates did. But I would have appreciated it if it were you the first one who told me why you don't want anything related with me just 'cause the insignificant detail that my parents aren't wizards."

Andromeda grabbed the letters and when he stood up, she inmediatly put them away from his reach as she climbed a small attic full with bird excrement. Andromeda also looked angry and that was what made Ted even more mad "It was precisely because of that why I was avoiding you! Have someone told you what some people of my house do for fun? They hunt mud bloods! Just imagine what would have happened if..."

"They knew you talked with one? Forgive for not being caring. You're only doing this to save your own skin! You don't even care about me."

"I got away from you for taking care of you!" Ted snorted and when he was about to speak, Andromeda stoped him "My parents are blood fanatics. All my life I have been raised to belive that...your species are a bad thing, abominations that shouldn't have been created and _Don't you dare interrupt me!_" She stormed when he tried to speak again "But then I met you and you gave me candies and made me laugh and you don't seem to have a hidden arm or a stinkful smell or some of those stuff they always told me. And I can assure you that nothing good will come out of us being together, so I gave you space."

"Then, what are you doing here? Couldn't you just give me a note instead of risking yourself to be seen around a mud blood?"

Andromeda sighned and ran her hands through her shinning dark hair "I don't know what I'm doing here. Maybe I just want to ask you in person to stay away from me or I just wanted to see your stupid face" Ted didn't knew if he should've felt flatered or insulted towards that comment. He kept his silence "I lived so long believing you're a beast, but I'm smart enough to know that an abomination wouldn't be stalking me just to know why I don't speak with him anymore."

"So...you still want us to be friends?"

"Yes...no...I don't know" Andromeda sat at the attic's staircase, Ted not being able to contain himself and sitting beside her "Have you seen my sister? It would be a great dissapointment for my family if I...well."

"Hang out with me?" "Venture Ted "I understand, Andromeda."

"You don't."

"Yes I do!" Replied the boy. If she wanted to end something that hadn't even started, he would help her just to lessen the pain "I don't have any problem with..."

"I still want to be your friend."

"...you simply..."

He looked at her with wild eyes and mouth hanging open. Andromeda sighned again and grabbed his hands with softness and Ted note that her's were cold. If it was out of fear or wind he couldn't tell.

"I've been trying to keep you away for a whole week, and I can't. And for reasons that not even I understand, I want you by my side."

"What about your sister?"

She made a face "That's why I wanted to talked to you as soon as I could. I saw that you were leaving the library and followed."

"Now you're a stalker" He joked and felt a weight being lifted when she smiled.

"Shut up and let me talk: If someone discovered that we're friends, anyone, would put us in danger. People like my family are capable of many things and the last thing I want is to see them hurting you. And even thought I want to be your friend..."

"It has to be a secret" Ted ended her sentence. Andromeda nod and looked down convinced that everything was doom "Well, It will be a great adventure then. Will we use code names? Or wigs?"

"Do you want to?"

Ted remembered what Smith and Bones had told him the first night at the school, about the Slytherins rejecting his friendship. And here he had a girl who was offering that to him a friendship, that even if it was secret, she did it because she didn't care about his blood status. And then he also remembered how he had promised that he would showed everyone that not all Slytherins were evil, and maybe he could even convinced Andromeda's family that he was worth it as a wizard too.

Ted smiled "Life is a great adventure, Dromeda, How can you life it without risk?"

They both smiled and she grabbed his hand a little tighter before saying "Don't call me Dromeda."


	7. Matter of perspective

**Matter of perspective**

**Disclaimer: **The story is mine, but the characters and world is from Joanne Rowling.

**Andromeda**

'_This is wrong_' Andromeda thought during the night of the 31st of October while she was already on bed, looking at her canopy.'_You are wrong, Andromeda. That boy is contaminating you and you must get rid of him, Or do you want to be the family dissapointment?_'Ever since her friendship with Ted had become official during that month, her bad thoughts and feelings oftenly grew stronger.

She couldn't help but to feel a lump in her stomach every time she imagined her sister finding out about her friendship with a mudblood, telling that to their parents and they punishing her for bringing dishonor to their house. With every hour, minute and seconds that went by with her talking with the blond boy she knew the contamination grew faster and it was harder getting away from him. But that feeling was nothing compared with the sick idea of having to abandon Ted; she had already discover too many good things about the boy that the idea of letting him go was terrifying.

She knew Ted was a failure at Potions and History of magic, subjects in which she was very good at; She now understood that he didn't want money, social ranking or different conditions but had a strange ability of making friends everywhere; Ted wasn't hanging out with her because of the money he might get out of it; Ted was always there to listen to her and She had fun at explaining him the magical world, and even when she denied it, she loved it when he taught her things about the Muggles.

'_He is bad for you. You know that. He's inferior, repulsive and an aberration_' screamed a loud voice inside her head who sounded just like her parents, aunt Walburga, uncle Orion, Bellatrix and Narcissa '_But sometimes what someone considerers wrong is good for others. It's just a matter of perspective_' Fought back another voice deep inside of her who sounded particurly like Sirius.

And like all those other nights, Andromeda started to think if it was time to stop that nonsense of being friends with a Mudblood and respect the ideals she was raised with. And like all those other nights, the part of her that won was the one that said that if Ted was a weirdo, then she wouldn't feel so good at being his friend.

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The next day, while she was exiting her Potions class, Andromeda was welcomed with a particular surprised. Professor Slughorn, who was also her Head of house, asked her to wait for a few momments after the class ended and that made all the bad thoughts from before to gain force in her mind.

It always ended up in punishments when an adult asked someone to stay for a few words, after all.

Andromeda waited anxiously for what professor Slughorn wanted to talk to her about and was already imagining the howler her parents would sent to her privatly when they knew she had made a professor mad. She was trying withouth success to convince herlself that Slughorn, even thought strict at making rules be obeyed, didn't seem capable of using a curse.

"Miss Black, have you ever had private classes of potions before coming to Hogwarts?"

"No, professor" Andromeda kept her voice low and sweet, just the way her mother had taught her to do every time she had to spoke with someone older "I...my parents have never got a tutor for those matters"

Slughorn flashed her a smile that reminded Andromeda of her uncle Alphard when he learned that they had disown him "Then this is pure talent! Pure, pure talent!" Andromeda knew she shouldn't be smiling, but at the prospect of discovering that there were no punishings waiting for her she couldn't help it "Miss Black, Have you ever heard of the Slug Club?" Andromeda muttered a soft no "Well, I don't usually invite first years to my reunions but after seeing your performance, and taking into account that it's been years since someone created me a forgetfulness potion so consistant during the first attempt, I might make an exception. If you haven't had any particular classes before coming, miss, your abilities for potions might be considerer unique."

Andromeda felt, for the very first time in her life, flattered. Normally it was Bellatrix, with her cleverness, or Narcissa for her looks, who took the attention while she was left behind, but right here she had a man who was congratulating her for something she also find joy in.

Potions was interesting to her because it made her able to create something, whether it was for helping or damaging, and she couldn't even begin to describe the fascination she felt while seeing the smoke and colours of the different beverages she had created. While for most of the students it was complicated to understand the instructions, Andromeda felt them as if they were a part of her body. It was the first time she also felt in control of what surrounded her.

"Would you like to accompany us to supper this Friday?"

"Absolutly, Profesor" She kept her emotions at line in order to prevent herself for acting imprudent. She had to remind herself many times that she was a Black and she had to remain cold "It would be a pleasure"

"Amazing, Darling! I don't wish you to arrive late to your other classes, so now you can go. Have a very nice day, miss Black."

Andromeda went out with a wide smile plasttered on her face that she couldn't get rid off. It was the most fascinating and fabulous thing to ever happened to her. She couldn't belive that she was going to spent time with people of grades superior to hers, and being in a circle like that she could probably made friends with some Slytherin from a very respectable family.

When she brings someone with a renown name to her family's Christmas party, one with whom her father might be able to establish relationships, it would mean she hadn't been a disappointment, and she wouldn't feel so ashamed of being Ted's friend.

Somehow, this day was being the best and not even the cruel words of her head could tear it down.

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_Dear Sirius,_

_Happy Birthday! You can't even begin to guess how much I miss you and how I am counting the days to see you again during Christmas's holidays. Don't you dare believe a word about what Bellatrix said related to having to duel in order to get into different houses, you just have to put on a hat and let it sent you to the house that suits you the most._

_I hope you hadn't made aunt Walburga mad while I'm not there, the last thing I want is to discover you were punish during your most special day. I ordered the house elves to make you this chocalate cake, but please eat it when your parents give you the permission._

_You're the first one I tell this, so please be quiet. Professor Slughorn let me in into a very special club he manages! I'm not planning on informing my parents yet, but it's one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Also, I discovered that I'm a failure at flying (but you already knew that) and decided to stay with my feet on the ground. It safer that way._

_How are Narcissa and Regulus? My parents never told us anything on the few letters they sent and Bellatrix never lends me her owl. I hope you spent a very nice day, I can't believe you are six years old already._

_Loves you, your favorite cousin,_

_Andromeda._

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"You're writting that for your parents?"

"I've told you so, only Bellatrix writtes them" Andromeda signed the letter and read it again so she could confirm that she said everything she wanted to Sirius. Ted was leaning against one of the library's bookshelves where they were hiding "It's for my cousin"

Ted raised his head out of curiosity "Does he also have the name of a constellation like yours?"

"Galaxy! My name is from a Galaxy. And no, he does have a name from a constallation"

Ted looked over her shoulder and read the letter very carefully. A smile took form on his lips so easily that Andromeda envied him. It was almost impossible, from what she had noticed during their time together, that Ted got angry. Coming from a family where smiling was mostly forbidden, that constant happiness that Ted always had impressed her every day as something new.

"Sirius? That's the cat constellation."

Andromeda sighed in denial "Dog. It's the dog constellation and the name suits him. Once after he took a bath he decided to splash everything and when we arrived all the walls were covered on water."

"You spent a lot of time with him?"

"His mother is my father's sister, so my sisters and I have grown up with him and his younger brother. Most of all Narcissa and I."

Ted raised an eyebrown "Narcissa? It's the first name of your family that isn't related to a star. Is she adopted?"

"Mother chose her name, not Father. If it had been his doing she would have been named Cassiopea or Lara or something like that." Andromeda smiled at the idea "You can guess my father was clearly dissapointed of not having any son with whom left the heritance, other way he would have never allowed my mother to name of her children."

"Your dad didn't want to have daughters?"

Andromeda knew Ted came from a muggle family, but she had guessed that even they respected old customs like many noble Slytherin families "That's obvious. With who would he left the family fortune?"

"With one of you!" Ted said as if that was the correct answer "I've seen your sister and I know you enough to know that you two will handle perfectly a bunch of money. What if none of you want to have children? Or if all of them turn out to be girls? Will you throw the money?"

"It will go to Sirius's Gringotts Chamber and belong to him when he's older."

That angered her father the most. As the slightest chance he always remebered her mother how she was uncapable of giving him a son while aunt Walburga had two, whom he considerer to be useless creatures that would bring dishonor to the name of their house. Now that she thought of it, perhaps that was the main reason why he was so desperate in getting them a husband.

Cygnus Black III could do many things, but one of them wasn't letting go of something he considerer his.

"Have your parents always been like that?"

"Aren't yours like them?"

Ted shook his head with disaproval "Maybe it's because we don't have tons of money to gave away but even if that was the case Gina would get her right amount. My parents have always been very just during our upbringing giving thought that mom is a pyschiatrist and she knows how bad it is when a child grows up under abuse, both pyscological and physical when..."

"Abuse?"

"Yeah, you know. Like being beaten up or insulted and other stuff you shouldn't do to your children. Bad stuff."

Was that...wrong? Her father always told them he was educating them, forming good women out of them who would fulfill expectations. Every time he slapped them or yelled at them how stupid they were or throw them a curse so they learned how to behave he said over and over again that it was 'Tough love' How could it be that loving someone was wrong?

"My mother says that educates children."

Ted shrugged "My mom always starts her therapys with the kids under her care with a saying: If you use violence, it doesn't matter what kind, for teaching the children you're not doing it in order for them to be good persons. You're teaching them to be afraid."

Andromeda thought about it. It was true that her sisters and her learned not to raise their voices or dedicated a frown or speak their minds when their father was close. But that was a good thing. Women never got far when they did things their own way and her family knew it.

The most noble houses haven't got very far thanks to women. It was men the ones who should take control and if someone forgot their role they needed to be reminded of it by the hard method.

Nonetheles, when she went to sleep that night, Andromeda couldn't help but think if Ted might be right.


	8. Particular Traditions

**Particular Traditions**

**Disclaimer: **I thought about it first, but J.K won me and now the Harry Potter World belongs to her. This story, however, is mine.

**Ted**

Christmas at Hogwarts were a whole new world for Ted. He was so accustomed that, every year, his parents would take him and Gina to visit their grandparents and paternal family at Scotland; there, he would have to endure his aunts while they were pinching his cheeks and told him how handsome he was.

At Hogwarts there were no chubby aunts with fingers like nippers, just a very excited Hestia Jones who wanted to teach him how to play Quidditch, even though she wasn´t part of the team and Ted could hardly fly withouth breaking every single window that was part of the castle. His clumsiness was surely gonna be the end of him.

The decorations around the castle were, like the food, one of the main reasons why he had decided to stay the following years. All the professors helped with their own spells so the castle looked like an ice fortress, with the armors singing carols that he had never heard at the Muggle world. The celebrations would have been perfect except for one detail.

Well, more like a person. A girl whose hair was a dark shade of brown and was never out of order, a girl who always laughted while covering her mouth as if she thought she was doing something wrong and had that habit of looking over her shoulder to verify, with fear, that she wasn´t being watched. That girl whom he loved to mock by saying her name belong to a star, perfectly knowing it was a galaxy, just because he liked to see her frown while scowlding him like a know it all.

Even though Ted loved Hestia´s company, he couldn´t doubt how much he missed Andromeda.

The last time they saw each other was during one of their secret reunions at the library, as they had been doing for some months. Andromeda was helping him with his potions´s essay, bitting her lower lip in concentration as she was writting all those complicated words to the parchment and told Ted how easy it was to elaborate the potion, that seeing it the way she did, sounded actually easy.

"You can´t even imagine all the things we will do during the Holidays: Play in the snow, sneak to the kitchens. You´re absolutely going to love it!"

Andromeda stopped writting then, looking at him with perplexed brown eyes "´We will do´ is who, exactly?"

"You and I, obviously. I don´t think your sister´s eyes wil be glued to you during the recess and lots of guys from your house are going home for the Holidays."

"Haven´t I mentioned it? I am also leaving"

That had lowered his good humor considerably, his plans of spending time with Andromeda completely ruined "Couldn´t you stay a bit? Tell your parents you don´t want to go home?"

Andromeda let out an imitation of a laugh, that was somehow empty, and lowered her gaze to the parchment in front of her. Ted noticed, just like she always did when they touched the topic of her family, that her shoulders became stiff and her posture way to straight, while her hands started to shake in a way she could hardly hide.

"I wish I could tell them so, but each year they throw an important party and many of the family´s _friends_ are invited" By the tone she used for the word ´friends´ Ted understood it had a different meaning "And my parents really wish to see Bellatrix and I there. Anyway" She stopped talking for a few seconds, as if she was chosing very carefully the next words that would abandon her mouth "My little sister has been alone for a long time just as my cousins. I just want to make sure they are fine."

"They´ve been home all this time, Why shouldn´t they be fine?"

Andromeda shrugged, but then she realized that wasn´t how a lady should act and simply shook her head. Ted had also noticed how many times she did that, punish herself inmediatly if she did something that wasn´t aristocratic or proper "It isn´t like that. We have money, and many things like dolls and they have each other. It´s just that…well, especially Sirius, he tends to say things withouth thinking first and that always makes my aunt angry."

Ted couldn´t understand why that situation was so severe or the reason why it made Andromeda want to go home with such desperation "All the kids say things out of order, I can assure that. My mom is a reliable source for that information. He´s simply showing signs of a logical thinking from an early age, that isn´t bad."

"With my family the simple idea of thinking is something bad"

Andromeda opened her eyes with full consciousness that she shouldn´t have said what she say. Ted simply looked at her trying to think for an excuse to take the conversation to a less uncomfortable topic, but he sadly couldn´t; ever since he received the answer from the letter he sent to Gina before oficially befriended Andromeda a single thought invaded his mind night and day: She was being abused at her house.

_You can´t blame the girl for what goes on inside her family._ Gina wrote, not less than two weeks after he sent the letter. _When you live in constant fear is difficult to break through those walls, so insteed of accusing her you should try to help. With the cases Mom has treated you should already know how difficult it is to break ties with an abusive family._

Ted had tried to supress those thoughts and only assumed that the Blacks were very strict towards education not that they were mistreating their daughters. But Andromeda was giving him many signs of nedding help.

Growing up with his mom speciallycing in mental health he had never let go of someone going through a rough time. It was because of it that when one of his classmates from primary school seem decay or was clearly scared Ted went and talked to them, trying to make them feel better; sometimes he had heard horrific things about their home life, that he had later reported with an adult in order to help them.

He wanted to do the same with Andromeda since his suspicions went to the same direction: Her jumps of sudden fear when she realized she did or said something wrong, the submission in which she accepted certain things such as not being able to handle her own money, the way she was so scared about Bellatrix or another Slytherin finding out they were friends or the many comments she sometimes slipped that, with someone with a bit of common sense, made it clear that she had a difficult time at home.

Even with Bellatrix, who he tried his best to avoid, he noticed that her attitude of a bad girl was more a facade to hide a girl who also looked over her shoulders, but insteed of fear she seemed to want admiration.

"Dromeda…What are your parents like?"

"I already told you, my older sister and I are more like our father because we both have…"

"That´s not what I meant, I was trying to ask how are they at home? How are they at being parents?"

Andromeda rolled her eyes, as if she thought the question was ridiculous "Like all the parents, obviously"

"And how is that?"

"Were you raised in an orphanage? Strict, Ted, strict! We´re a conservative family, also very whealthy, and we have to put into practice strict attitudes to keep the order."

"Such as physical punishments?" Ted saw how she stiffen again, her mouth opening and closing like a gold fish. _Eureka_, he claimed, _I caught you_ "It´s that isn´t it? Your definition of strict is being hit. How many times have they done that? Since _when_ do they do it?"

"I dont´have the slightest idea what are you talking about."

Ted scowlded "Of course you don´t. That was what you were afraid of when you became my friend? If they found out, will they punch you?" Andromeda kept writting so Ted grab the parchment and ignored her protests "God dammit, Andromeda, tell me something! Have they done it with your cousin? Your sisters? Is it you mother?"

"Edward, you´re getting on my nerves right now"

"It isn´t your mother, it´s your father" Ted knew it from the strange glow Andromeda´s eyes adquired "Your father is the one who does it, right? It makes a lot of sense with the cohibitation of development and they forbidden you to think different or the way you always speak of him with a low voice. He is the one who abuses you, isn´t he? Has it always been like that? How far has he come?"

Andromeda stood up inmediatly, throwing the parchment and ink to the floor. She was furious with her hands clawded into fists beside her and throwing Ted the most poisonous glance she could muster. When she finally spoke, she did it with a tone as cold as ice and using hurtful words "It´s very clear that a mudblood such as you will never understand how the important magical families work from the inside. If it isn´t too much to ask, I wish for you to stay out of my businesses just as I never get involved into yours."

She left the library and didn´t spoke to him the rest of the week before the Holidays, which made Ted certain of his suspicions. Most of the kids that suffer from abuse tended to get defensive when they were asked questions related to the abuse.

While he was trying to kick a bludger, that ended up agaisnt a tree from the Forbidden Forest, Ted could only wonder how bad was she at her home this Christmas Holidays and the fact that maybe he would see purple bruises the next time he spoke with her.

And he didn´t know exactly why but the simple thought of seeing Andromeda hurt made him want to throw up badly.

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

When he returned to his dorm on a Friday night the day before Christmas, Ted was surprise to see Bones looking through the window.

Even though they never spoke with each other Ted was grateful that Bones decided to stay instead of Smith, who was always walking around with that smirk and his believes of being the King of the world. The good thing about Bones that Ted knew was that the boy liked to be in silence and never left the bathroom as a mess.

The red haired boy smiled shily towards him as if he still thought it was strange that they share a room when they only spoke the day Ted helped him look for the Transfigurations´s classroom the first day of class. Ted returned the gesture, sitting on his bed uncomfortably after Hestia beated him on their snow balls fight.

The Ravenclaw girl could turn out to be very competitive when she wanted to, Ted figured out.

They both could have stood in silence, but Ted couldn´t help to remeber that Bones was a pure had yelled at him how he could never understand the traditions that rule between pure blood families and he felt nauseus just by thinking of asking a Slytherin about them, but Bones was a good option if he wanted to get answers.

Clearing his throat, Ted started the most awkard conversation he could muster "Bones…are your both parents wizards?"

The red haired boy nodded with a surprise look upon his face for being spoken to.

Ted untied the nott of his tie, obviously unconfortable about how he should ask his questions. He couldn´t just ask if Bones´s parents punch him, less to inquire if that was popular in the wizandry community. He wouldn´t only seem loopy, but also very unpolite.

He played with his hands upon his lap and reorganize the ideas that were flying on his head, just to find a way to say things as polite as he could "The families at the wizandry world…all of you have particular ways to raise your children?"

Bones looked at him as if he had a dragon´s head growing on his neck for later telling him that he was impersonating Merlin "P-p-particular ways?"

"Well, you know…weird traditions inside the families" Now Ted was blusing and he knew he seem stupid "I don´t know like parents using violence…against their own kids"

"My parents have never done that" Bones sitted so they could see each other in the eyes "Only evil families do those kinds of things."

"What kind of families?"

Bones opened his blue eyes wide with something similar to anger, which coming from his usual shy self, was quite amusing "Dark families from the kids at Slytherin. The Malfoys, the Rosiers, the Lestrenges, the Blacks…"

Ted straighted after he heard the last one "Why do you mention the Blacks? What have they done?"

"It´s more about what haven´t they done" Bones stood up and went to his bed, sitting in front of Ted. The boy seemed a little bit unconfortable with the attention he received but also very happy to share important information "My dad works in the same department at the Ministry as Orion Black and he says the man is a lunatic. He wanted to force people onto voting for a reform that forbid muggle borns to start working at the Ministry and many other confirm to have seen him at Knockturn alley."

"What about the other Black?" Ted was trying very hard to remember Andromeda´s fathers name. Was it Seamus? Sean? Flammel?

"Cygnus Black III?" Ted nod with such energy he almost fell of his bed and lean even closer for listening better "My dad has seen him some times, when he has to go to the Magic International Cooperation Department where Black is the director, he says the man is like his brother in law but a bit more…radical. I think two of his daughters are studying with us, pure blood fanatics no doubt."

Ted did everything he could to ignore the comment insulting Andromeda because he knew that if he defended how she wasn´t a blood fanatic he would also have to explain things that would make her friend stand on a dangerous position "But these kinds of families like the Blacks, do they tend to be cruel while raising their children?"

Bones seemed to think about it as if he had never been put to answer that question "Well…it´s well know that they are very conservative about the whole pure blood idea. I heard they tend to murder relatives who decided to stablish contact with muggle borns or simply rejected the supremacy ideas just to keep their names on that ridiculous list of the wholy twenty eight." Ted was feeling more than sick when Bones explained it to him, each word kicking him hard on the stomach "They are also very retarded with cultural events and most of the women of those families are only used to stablish whealthy marriges. I haven´t seem then done anything else with their lives and Mom says it´s cruel to do that to a witch with so much potential."

"H-h-have the Blacks ever been judged for it? Is there no department at the Ministry that protects children under abuse?"

"It isn´t strange for this things to happen, Ted. The Ministry is already accustomed."

"But it isn´t okay!" Ted could only picture Andromeda being torture and force to marry someone she didn´t love and force to believe in things she didn´t wanted to. He held his breath and tried to erase the images of her being murdered just for being his friend "Just because you see something oftenly doesn´t mean it´s right and the fact that you get used to it only makes it worst. Someone should do something! The Black´s children might have serious traumas or they could be getting abused or they might want to end their lifes…"

"Why do you care so much about the Blacks? It´s not like they care about you."

Ted looked away and obligued his eyes to stay glued to his trunk where Gina´s letter burn inside his mind "I am worried that someone might be living with his own enemy that´s all. My mom helps muggle children with these situations and I just…thought that the magical society also had them."

Bones seemed sad about the idea "It´s difficult to actually do something with all the influence they have at the Ministry. But I guess that if one of those kids wanted help they would ask for it, right?"

Ted knew that never happen. Most of the kids under abuse thought they deserved the abuse and that it was a normal things they had to endure which implied they reacted violently towards any kind of help.

Even though the topic was never again touched that night and that the two boys spent the rest of their time playing exploding snap, Ted kept that horrible idea on his mind.

Especially because now he knew Andromeda was in more danger because of him.


End file.
